Inhaler spacer and storage apparatus

ABSTRACT

A spacer may improve the effectiveness of medication delivery by an inhaler. The spacer may be configured to store the inhaler to improve compactness and/or portability of the spacer and inhaler. The inhaler may be coupled to a retaining device, inhaler container, and/or the like that restricts movement of the inhaler to predetermined positions and/or orientations. A user may be able to transition the inhaler between a stored position and an active position by moving the inhaler translationally and/or rotationally. The inhaler may be able to remain coupled to the retaining device and/or inhaler container, and the retaining device and/or inhaler container may be able to remain coupled to the spacer during transition from the stored position to the active position. The spacer may be sized to fit in a pants pocket in an embodiment.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application withapplication Ser. No. 14/776,041 filed on Sep. 14, 2015, which is theNational Stage of International Application No. PCT/US2013/064156 filedon Oct. 9, 2013, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication with Ser. No. 61/798,488 filed on Mar. 15, 2013 and entitled“Inhaler Device (Slyder)” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application withSer. No. 61/798,817 filed on Mar. 15, 2013 and entitled “Inhaler Device(1-Piece).” Each one of the aforementioned applications is herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to an inhaler spacer that is able to store aninhaler.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a disassembled perspective view of a spacer, a retainingdevice, and an inhaler according to one embodiment.

FIG. 1B is a front perspective view of the spacer shown in FIG. 1A withthe inhaler in an active position and a cover open.

FIG. 1C is a rear perspective view of the spacer shown in FIG. 1A withthe inhaler in the active position and the cover open.

FIG. 1D is a cross-section view of the spacer shown in FIG. 1A with theinhaler in the active position and the cover open.

FIG. 1E is a cross-section view of the spacer shown in FIG. 1A with theinhaler in a stored position, the cover closed, and a sliding door fullyextended.

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of a spacer with an inhaler in anactive position and a cover open according to another embodiment.

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the spacer shown in FIG. 2A withthe inhaler in the active position and the cover open.

FIG. 2C is a cross-section view of the spacer shown in FIG. 2A with theinhaler in a stored position and the cover closed.

FIG. 2D is a cross-section view of the spacer shown in FIG. 2A with theinhaler being transferred from the stored position to the activeposition and the cover open.

FIG. 2E is a cross-section view of the spacer shown in FIG. 2A with theinhaler in the active position and the cover open.

FIG. 3A is a front perspective view of a concealable mouthpiece in anactive position.

FIG. 3B is a front perspective view of the concealable mouthpiece shownin FIG. 3A in a stored position.

FIG. 3C is a cross-section view of the concealable mouthpiece shown inFIG. 3A in an active position.

FIG. 3D is a cross-section view of the concealable mouthpiece shown inFIG. 3A in a stored position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and otherrespiratory diseases negatively impact the lives of millions of people.Inhalers, such as pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs),propellant-free soft mist inhalers (SMIs), and the like, may be used todirect medication to a person's airway in order to manage and/or treatdiseases, such as asthma and COPD. When used alone, these inhalers arevery inefficient and may provide an average deposition of medication tothe lower airway target as low as 20% or less.

Deposition in the lower airway target may be improved by using a spacer.While a spacer may markedly increase lung and/or lower airway drugdeposition, it may suffer the shortcoming of being too large and bulkyfor practical daily use outside the home. Furthermore, conventionalspacers fail to integrate the spacer and inhaler for improved storageand use. Therefore, there is a need for a spacer that is both extremelyportable and easy to use. The number of patients who self-administerinhalable drugs is set to increase significantly in the coming years asmany medications, such as insulin for diabetics and cancer therapydrugs, are being developed in an inhalable form. Accordingly, a devicethat will garner high patient compliance is critically needed.

FIGS. 1A-1E are perspective and cross-section views of an embodiment ofa spacer 100 configured to store an inhaler 150. The spacer 100 mayinclude a spacer housing 110 that defines a spacer chamber 115. Thespacer chamber 115 may receive medication discharged by the inhaler 150and may slow the delivery of the medication so more of the medicationcan reach the lower airway of the user when the user inhales. The spacerchamber 115 may slow the delivery of the medication by providingadditional distance between the inhaler and the user's mouth, which mayallow air friction to slow the velocity of the medication. The spacerhousing 110 may constrain the medication from dispersing and hold themedication until it can be inhaled by the user.

The spacer chamber 115 may be elongated along a longitudinal axis. Themedication may be discharged substantially along the elongatedlongitudinal axis, and the medication may have space to slow beforeimpacting the spacer housing 110. The length of the spacer housing 110along the longitudinal axis may be selected to be short enough for thespacer 100 to fit in a pants pocket (e.g., the length may be selected tobe less than or equal to the length of a selected pants pocket and/or tocompletely conceal the spacer in the selected pants pocket) but longenough to slow medication without substantial deposition of themedication on the spacer housing.

A cross-section of the spacer chamber 115 normal to the longitudinalaxis may be any of various shapes, such as a circle, an oval, a squarewith or without rounded corners, a rectangle with or without roundedcorners, a hybrid between shapes, etc., and/or the size and/or shape ofthe cross-section may vary at different points along the longitudinalaxis. In the illustrated embodiment, the spacer housing 110 forms arectangular prism with rounded edges, which has a rectangularcross-section with rounded corners. In some embodiments, a height of thecross-section along a vertical axis may be larger than a width along alateral axis. The additional height may provide space for manipulatingthe inhaler 150, as discussed in further detail below. The height of thecross-section may be selected to be short enough for the spacer 100 tofit in a pants pocket (e.g., the height of the cross-section may beselected to be less than the width of a selected pants pocket) but tallenough to permit manipulation of the inhaler 150. The width of thecross-section may be selected to be wide enough for an inhaler 150 tofit in the spacer chamber 115 (e.g., the width of the cross-section maybe greater than or equal to the width of the inhaler 150) but otherwisemay be selected to be as narrow as possible (e.g., as close to the widthof the inhaler 150 as possible without restricting manipulation). Thewidth may affect what height can fit in a pants pocket, so the widthplus height may be selected to be less than the width of the selectedpants pocket.

The spacer housing 110 may include a concave wall 112 configured toreflect medication received from the inhaler 150 back into the spacerchamber 115. More medication may be deposited on corners, edges, flatsurfaces, and the like than concave surfaces, which may direct themedication back into the spacer chamber 115 with minimal deposition. Theconcave wall 112 may be located at an edge opposite the inhaler 150,which may maximize the distance between the inhaler 150 and the concavewall 112. The inhaler 150 may be slightly angled relative to thelongitudinal axis to aim at the concave wall 112. The concave wall 112and/or the spacer housing 110 may be made of a material selected tominimize deposition of the medication, such as a non-adhesive material(e.g., polytetrafluoroethylene). Alternatively, or in addition, thespacer housing 110 may be made of a light-weight material that isresistant to deformation, such as aluminum, anti-static coated aluminum,a polymer (e.g., polycarbonate), carbon fiber, carbon-fiber-reinforcedpolymer, and/or the like.

The spacer 100 may include a retaining device 120 configured to receivethe inhaler 150. The retaining device 120 may restrict movement of theinhaler 150 and may allow the inhaler 150 to be manipulated intopredetermined positions and/or orientations. For example, in theillustrated embodiment, the retaining device 120 may include a ring 122configured to rotatably couple with a rod 121 protruding from and/orcoupled to the spacer housing 110. The rod 121 may define a coincidentpivot point about which the retaining device 120 rotates. In alternateembodiments, the retaining device 120 may include a rod (not shown) andthe spacer housing 110 may include a cavity (not shown) that allows therod to rotate and/or move translationally. The retaining device 120 mayinclude a restraining band 124 configured to encircle an inhalermouthpiece 151 on the inhaler 150. In an embodiment, the restrainingband 124 may include one or more stiff wires encircling the inhaler 150.The retaining device 120 may also include a backing 126 and a base 128.The restraining band 124, backing 126, and base 128 may hold the inhaler150 sufficiently snugly to prevent excessive movement and/or inadvertentdislodgement by the inhaler but loose enough for the inhaler 150 to beinserted and removed from the retaining device 120 by the user.

The retaining device 120 may allow the user to move the inhaler 150 intoa predetermined stored position, shown in FIG. 1E, and a predeterminedactive position, shown in FIGS. 1B-1D, for example, by rotating theinhaler 150 and the retaining device 120. The inhaler 150 may remaincoupled to the retaining device 120, and the retaining device 120 mayremain coupled to the spacer housing 110 during transition between thestored position and the active position. In the stored position, theinhaler 150 may be completely contained in the spacer housing 110. Theinhaler 150 may occupy the spacer chamber 115, which may allow thespacer 100 and inhaler 150 to be more compact than they would be if theywere separated and/or the inhaler 150 did not occupy the spacer chamber115 when in the stored position. The inhaler mouthpiece 151 may be aimeddirectly at the spacer housing 110 with little or no gap between them.Thus, the inhaler 150 may not be able to effectively deliver medicationto the user in the stored position.

In the active position, the inhaler 150 may be positioned to effectivelydeliver medication to the spacer chamber 115 and the user. The inhalermouthpiece 151 may be aimed into the spacer chamber 115 and havesufficient distance between the inhaler mouthpiece 151 and the portionof the spacer housing 110 at which the mouthpiece is aimed for themedication to slow and disperse in the spacer chamber 115. The inhaler150 may protrude from the spacer housing 110 in the active position,which may provide access to the inhaler 150 by the user. The user may beable to depress the canister 154 to release medication into the spacerchamber. Because the inhaler 150 protrudes from the spacer housing 110,the amount of usable space in the spacer housing 110 may be increasedwhen the inhaler 150 is in the active position. As a result, the spacerhousing 110 can be more compact while still effectively slowing themedication for inhalation by the user. In some embodiments, the spacerhousing 110 may be telescoping to allow the user to further increase theusable space.

The spacer housing 110 may include a cover 130. The cover 130 may berotatably coupled to the spacer housing 110 (e.g., by a hinge 132),which may allow the cover 130 to be opened without decoupling from thespacer housing 110. The cover 130 may rotate in any direction, such asvertically, horizontally, and/or the like. The cover 130 may include asliding door 135 that can be adjusted to increase or decrease the lengthof the cover 130. In a closed position with the sliding door 135extended, the cover 130 may completely conceal the inhaler 150 and thespacer chamber 115. The inhaler 150 may need to be in the storedposition for the cover 130 to close completely with the sliding door 135extended. In some embodiments, a locking mechanism (not shown), such asa latch, hook, clip, ridge and channel, nub and dimple, magnet, frictioncoupling, and/or the like, may secure the cover 130 in the closedposition. The cover 130 may automatically move to the open position whenthe locking mechanism is released (e.g., a spring element may rotate thecover 130 to the open position).

The cover 130 may be opened to provide access to the inhaler 150 andallow the user to change the inhaler 150 from the stored position to theactive position or vice versa. The cover 130 may be closed with thesliding door 135 fully retracted or partially extended when the inhaler150 is in the active position. The sliding door 135 may be unable toextend completely to a closed position when the inhaler 150 is in theactive position but may frictionally engage the inhaler 150 to provideadditional stability. Accordingly, the user may have easy access the topof the inhaler 150 for actuating the inhaler 150. Alternatively, or inaddition, a plug or flexible material (not shown) may cover the top ofthe inhaler 150 but still allow the user to actuate the inhaler 150. Theplug or flexible material may be made of silicone, rubber, polymer,and/or the like.

The cover 130 may substantially seal the spacer chamber 115 when thecover 130 is closed and the inhaler 150 is in the active position. Muchof the air exchange between the spacer chamber 115 and the outside mayoccur due to holes in the inhaler 150 between the canister 154 and theinhaler actuator/housing 152. Accordingly, the advantages of completelysealing the spacer chamber 115 may be minimal. The spacer chamber 115may be substantially sealed if the area of any gaps in the spacerhousing 110, not including the mouthpiece 140 and any intake valves (notshown), is no more than 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, etc. times larger thanthe area of the holes in the inhaler 150. The cover 130 may touch theinhaler 150 when the cover 130 is closed and the inhaler 150 is in theactive position, but the cover 130 may not be shaped to conform to theinhaler 150. In another embodiment, the cover 130 may be shaped toconform to the inhaler 150 when the inhaler 150 is in the activeposition.

The spacer housing 110 may include an air intake valve (not shown) inaddition to and/or instead of gaps in the spacer housing 110. The airintake valve may include a one-way valve (not shown) configured to letair into the spacer chamber 115 but not out. Insufficient medication mayreach the lower airway target if the user inhales too quickly, so theintake valve may alert the user if the user's inhalation rate is above apredetermined threshold. For example, the intake valve may be configuredto make a high-pitch whistling sound above the predetermined threshold,and/or an electronic switch may be triggered, which may light anindicator and/or produce a noise using a speaker. The predeterminedthreshold may be between 25 and 30 liters per minute in someembodiments.

The spacer housing 110 may include a mouthpiece 140 that allows the userto inhale the medication contained in the spacer chamber 115. Themouthpiece 140 may be configured to switch between an active position inwhich the medication can be retrieved from the spacer chamber 115 and astored position in which the mouthpiece 140 is concealed. In anembodiment, the mouthpiece 140 may include a flap (not shown) thatrotates between an open position that provides an opening 142 to thespacer chamber 115 through which medication can be inhaled and a closedposition that covers the opening 142. A locking mechanism (not shown),such as a latch, hook, clip, ridge and channel, nub and dimple, magnet,friction coupling, and/or the like, may secure the flap in the closedposition. A spring, gravity, and/or the like may automatically rotatethe flap to the active position when the locking mechanism is released.Alternatively, or in addition, the mouthpiece 140 may rotate to hide theopening 142, the mouthpiece 140 may be telescoping, the mouthpiece 140may slide on a track (not shown), the opening 142 may be covered by asliding door (not shown), the mouthpiece 140 may be made of a flexiblematerial and may invert into the spacer chamber 115, the mouthpiece 140may be covered by a cap (not shown), and/or the like to switch betweenthe active and stored positions. The mouthpiece 140 may not protrudefrom the spacer housing 110 while in the stored position, and/or the capmay be flush with the spacer housing 110 in some embodiments.

The mouthpiece 140 may include one or more exhaust ports (not shown)and/or a one-way valve (not shown) coupled to the spacer chamber 115 toprevent the user from exhaling into the spacer chamber 115, which maydispel the medication from the spacer chamber 115. The exhaust ports maybe positioned so the user's lips do not cover the exhaust ports. Theexhaust ports may each include a one-way exhaust valve (not shown) thatprevent medication from escaping during inhalation. The one-way valvecoupled to the spacer chamber 115 may allow air and medication from thespacer chamber 115 to travel out the mouthpiece 140 but may prevent airfrom entering the spacer chamber 115 through the mouthpiece 140. Theone-way valve may include a duckbill valve, a flat valve supported byribbing that may include any number of sections or no sections, and/orthe like.

In an embodiment, the retaining device 120 may be configured to receivean inhaler 150 that includes a canister 154 and an inhaleractuator/housing 152. The retaining device 120 may secure the inhaleractuator/housing 152 in a desired position, and the inhaleractuator/housing 152 may secure the canister 154. Alternatively, or inaddition, the retaining device 120 may be configured to receive aninhaler including a canister 154 but without an inhaler actuator/housing152. For example, the retaining device 120 may include a nozzle block(not shown) and/or a nozzle (not shown) configured to dispersemedication from the canister 154 into the spacer chamber 115. To securethe canister 154, the restraining band 124 may be configured to encirclethe canister 154, and/or the nozzle block may provide sufficientfriction to hold the canister 154. The spacer 100 may include adose-counting mechanism (not shown) that is visible to the user (e.g.,through a window, gap, or the like) so the number of doses used and/orremaining can be seen by the user.

FIGS. 2A-2E are perspective and cross-section views of anotherembodiment of a spacer 200 configured to store an inhaler 250. Thespacer 200 may include a spacer housing 210 that defines a spacerchamber 215 for receiving medication discharged by the inhaler 250. Thespacer chamber 215 may include an elongated longitudinal axis and across-section normal to the longitudinal axis that is oval shaped, ahybrid between a rectangle and an ellipse, and/or the like. As with thefirst spacer 100 shown in FIGS. 1A-1E, the length, width, and/or heightof the second spacer 200, shown in FIGS. 2A-2E, may be selected based ondimensions of a selected pants pocket, dimensions of the inhaler 250,the space needed to slow the medication, and/or the like so that thespacer 200 fits in the selected pants pocket, can completely store theinhaler, and can effectively deliver medication to a lower airwaytarget. The inhaler 250 may include a canister 254 and an inhaleractuator/housing 252, or the inhaler 250 may include a canister 254only.

The spacer 200 may include an inhaler container 220 to which the inhaler250 may be removeably coupled. The inhaler container 220 mayfrictionally engage with the inhaler 250 to secure the inhaler 250. Forexample, the inhaler container 220 may include a cuff 224 into which theinhaler mouthpiece 251 may be inserted. The user may need to apply aforce greater than a predetermined threshold (e.g., gravity, apredetermined multiple of gravity, etc.) to remove the inhalermouthpiece 251 from the cuff 224. Otherwise, the inhaler 250 may notmove and/or may move minimally relative to the inhaler container 220. Abase 228 and an upper sealing member 226 may further support andconstrain movement of the inhaler 250.

The inhaler container 220 may include one or more nubs 222 configured tomove along corresponding tracks 221 in the spacer housing 210. In anembodiment, the inhaler container 220 may include two nubs 222 onopposite sides of the inhaler container 220, and the spacer housing 210may include corresponding tracks on opposite sides of the spacer housing210 (e.g., parallel tracks in a plane normal to the vertical axis). Theuser may slide the nubs 222 along the tracks 221 to transition theinhaler container 220 and the inhaler 250 from the stored position,shown in FIG. 2C, to the active position, shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2E.In the stored position, the inhaler 250 may be completely contained inthe spacer housing 210, and the inhaler mouthpiece 251 may be aimeddirectly at the spacer housing 210 with little or no gap between them.In the active position, the inhaler 250 may be pointed at orsubstantially at the mouth piece 240 with sufficient distance betweenthe inhaler mouthpiece 251 and the portion of the spacer housing 210 atwhich the inhaler mouthpiece 251 is aimed for the medication to slow anddisperse in the spacer chamber 215. The inhaler 250 may remain securedby the inhaler container 220, and the inhaler container 220 may remaincoupled to the inhaler housing 210 during transition between the storedposition and the active position.

The tracks 221 may constrain the movement of the inhaler container 220and the inhaler 250 so the stored position and the active position areconsistent between uses. For example, the tracks 221 may terminate atthe appropriate locations for each position. The inhaler container 220and the inhaler 250 may also need to be rotated to transition from thestored position to the active position, so the nubs 222 may be able torotate relative to the track 221. For example, to change the inhaler 250from the stored to the active position, the user may slide the nubs 222to the end of the track 221 and then rotate the inhaler container 220and the inhaler 250. The track 221 may end and/or include stops (notshown) to prevent excessive movement of the inhaler controller 220. Insome embodiments, the spacer housing 210 may include a rotation inducingmechanism (not shown), such as a hook configured to interface with a rodon the inhaler container 220 or the inhaler actuator/housing 252 or viceversa, a ball configured to interface with a socket on the inhalercontainer 220 or the inhaler actuator/housing 252 or vice versa, and/orthe like. Alternatively, or in addition, the tracks 221 may hook at theend to induce rotation. In an embodiment, the inhaler container 220 mayinclude tracks (not shown) and the spacer housing 210 may include nubs(not shown). Alternatively, or in addition, the inhaler 250 may besecured in the spacer housing 210 by friction without the tracks 221 ornubs 222.

Once the inhaler container 220 and inhaler 250 have been shifted to theactive position, the spacer chamber 215 may be completely sealed and/oralmost completely sealed other than the mouthpiece 240, any intakevalves (not shown), and holes in the inhaler 250. The inhaler container220 may include an upper sealing member 226 and a lower sealing member227 that seal the back of the spacer chamber 215. The upper and lowersealing members 226, 227 may be shaped like the spacer housing 210 toblock the back of the spacer housing 210. The spacer housing 210, theupper sealing member 226, and/or the lower sealing member 227 mayinclude a stabilizing and/or locking mechanism (not shown), such as alatch, hook, clip, ridge and channel, nub and dimple, magnet, frictioncoupling, and/or the like, configured to secure the inhaler container220 and the inhaler 250 in the active position and/or the storedposition. In some embodiments, the lower sealing member 227 and/or theupper sealing member 226 may include an intake valve (not shown) and/orone or more holes (not shown) to improve air flow when the user inhales.

The spacer housing 210 may be rotatably coupled to a cover 230, forexample, by a pivot 232. The cover 230 may be configured to completelyconceal the inhaler 250 when the cover 230 is in a closed position andthe inhaler 250 is in the stored position. The cover 230 may be rotatedby the user to an open position to provide access to the inhalercontainer 220 and the inhaler 250 so that the user can manipulate theinhaler container 220 and the inhaler 250 from the stored position tothe active position. A locking mechanism (not shown), such as a latch,hook, clip, ridge and channel, nub and dimple, magnet, frictioncoupling, and/or the like, may be configured to secure the cover 230 inthe open position and/or the closed position. Alternatively, or inaddition, the cover 230 may be coupled to the spacer housing 210 by ahinge (not shown); the spacer housing 210 may be configured to breakapart into two parts that pivot relative to each other (e.g., at ahinge); the cover 230 may retractably slide on a track system (notshown) to open and closed positions; the inhaler container 220 mayinclude a top portion (not shown) that seals the spacer chamber 115 whenthe inhaler container 220 is in the stored position; and/or the like. Insome embodiments, the cover 230 may not be continuous so the cover 230can clear the spacer housing 210

Either embodiment may include one or more ergonomic features to improvehandling of the device. For example, the spacer 100, 200 may include atraction element (not shown), such as finger grooves, finger grips, agrip pad on the bottom of the spacer housing 110, 120 and/or inhaler150, 250, and/or the like, which may be made using over molded rubber,silicon, and/or the like. The traction element may improve the user'sgrasp on and/or the stability of the spacer 100, 200, for example, whenthe user is actuating the inhaler 150, 250. A carabiner hole and/orkey-ring hole (not shown) may allow the user to secure the spacer 100,200 to their person and improve portability. A sleeve (not shown), suchas a silicon wrap, may slide over the device to protect the spacer 100,200, personalize the spacer 100, 200, provide traction, provide a holefor a carabiner and/or key ring, and/or the like.

In some embodiments, the spacer 100, 200 may include and/or beconfigured to receive a system to wirelessly transmit data on use of thespacer 100, 200. For example, the system may include a GPS componentconfigured to record the day, time, location, etc. of each actuation.The system may transmit the recorded information to a smartphone app.,doctor's office, server, etc. manually and/or automatically using awired and/or wireless communication device (e.g., Bluetooth).Alternatively, or in addition, the system may transmit an indication ofthe actuation to a smartphone app., and the smartphone may record theday, time, location, etc. of the actuation.

FIGS. 3A-3D are perspective and cross-section views of a concealablemouthpiece 340 on a spacer 300. A user may be able to transition themouthpiece 340 between an active position, shown in FIGS. 3A and 3C, anda stored position, shown in FIGS. 3B and 3D. In the active position, themouthpiece 340 may allow the user to inhale medication from a spacerchamber 315 through a mouthpiece opening 342. In the stored position,the mouthpiece 340 may completely or substantially seal the spacerchamber 315 so medication in the spacer chamber 315 cannot exit throughthe mouthpiece 340. In the stored position, the mouthpiece 340 may alsobe configured to be flush with the spacer housing 310, which may improveportability and/or storage of the spacer 300 when not in use.

The mouthpiece 340 may include a door 344 configured to rotate about apivot point to switch between the active and stored positions. The pivotpoint may be coincident with a pin 345 to which the door 344 isrotatably coupled. The user may rotate the door 344 between the activeand stored positions to expose or conceal the mouthpiece opening 342. Insome embodiments, the mouthpiece 340 may be spring loaded and/orgravitationally loaded, and the user may push the door 344 and/or abutton to release the mouthpiece 340 from the stored position.Alternatively, or in addition, the mouthpiece 340 may include a tab (notshown) to allow the user to shift the mouthpiece 340 between the activeand stored positions.

While specific embodiments and applications of the disclosure have beenillustrated and described, it is to be understood that the disclosure isnot limited to the precise configuration and components disclosedherein. Various modifications, changes, and variations apparent to thoseof skill in the art may be made in the arrangement, operation, anddetails of the methods and systems of the disclosure without departingfrom the scope of the disclosure. For example, any combination offeatures from the first and second spacer embodiments 100, 200 may beused to create a spacer according to this disclosure. The scope of thepresent disclosure should, therefore, be determined only by thefollowing claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A spacer apparatus to slow the delivery ofmedication released from an inhaler, the spacer apparatus comprising: aspacer housing defining a spacer chamber, wherein the spacer chamber iselongated along a longitudinal axis such that a volume of the spacerchamber provides space to slow medication discharged by the inhaler toeffectively deliver the medication to lungs of a user; a mouthpiece tofacilitate inhalation of the medication contained in the spacer chamber;a retaining device coupled to the spacer housing and configured toreceive the inhaler; and a communication system to transmit data on theuse of the spacer, wherein the spacer housing is configured to receivethe communication system.
 2. The spacer apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe retaining device is configured to shift the inhaler from a storedposition to an active position in which the inhaler is able to deliverthe medication to the spacer chamber.
 3. The spacer apparatus of claim1, wherein in the closed position the inhaler is completely contained inthe spacer housing.
 4. The spacer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dataon the use of the spacer indicates an actuation of the inhaler.
 5. Thespacer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication system isconfigured to transmit the data on the use of the spacer to at least oneof a smartphone, a doctor's office, and a server.
 6. The spacerapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a global positioning system(GPS) component configured to record at least a day, time, and locationof each actuation of the inhaler.
 7. The spacer apparatus of claim 1,wherein the communication system is further configured transmit the dataon the use of the spacer to a smartphone application configured torecord at least a day, time, and location of an actuation of theinhaler.
 8. The spacer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communicationsystem comprises a wired and/or wireless communication device.
 9. Thespacer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spacer housing comprises acover configured to provide user access to the inhaler, and wherein thespacer housing is configured to completely conceal the inhaler when thecover is in a closed position.
 10. The spacer apparatus of claim 1,wherein the retaining device is rotatably coupled to the spacer housingand rotates about a pivot point, wherein the pivot point is located inthe spacer housing, and wherein the pivot point is configured to moverelative to the spacer housing.
 11. The spacer apparatus of claim 1,wherein the retaining device is configured to receive a canistercontaining pressurized medication or an inhaler actuator configured todisperse released medication and house the canister.
 12. The spacerapparatus of claim 1, further comprising an intake element configured toalert the user if the user's inhalation rate is above a predeterminedthreshold.
 13. The spacer of apparatus of claim 1, further comprising anelectronic switch configured to be triggered if the user's inhalationrate is above a predetermined threshold.
 14. The spacer of apparatus ofclaim 13, wherein the electronic switch is configured to light anindicator.
 15. The spacer of apparatus of claim 13 or 14, wherein theelectronic switch is configured to produce a noise using a speaker. 16.A method to track usage of a delivery system for an inhalable, themethod comprising: detecting a delivery of an inhalable by an inhalerthrough a spacer, the spacer comprising a spacer chamber and coupled toa mouthpiece, wherein the spacer chamber is elongated along alongitudinal axis such that a volume of the spacer chamber providesspace to slow medication discharged by the inhaler to effectivelydeliver the medication to lungs of a user; recording usage data relatedto the delivery, wherein the usage data comprises an actuation of aninhaler; and transmitting the usage data via a communication system ofthe spacer.
 17. The method of 16, wherein the usage data comprises aday, time, and location of each actuation of the inhaler.
 18. The methodof 16, wherein transmitting the usage data comprises transmitting theusage data to at least one of a smartphone, a doctor's office, and aserver 20, the method of 16, wherein transmitting the usage datacomprises transmitting the usage data to a smartphone applicationconfigured to record at least a day, time, and location of an actuationof the inhaler.
 19. The method of 16, further comprising alerting a userif the user's inhalation rate is above a predetermined threshold. 20.The method of 19, wherein alerting the user comprises illuminating anindicator light.
 21. The method of 19, wherein alerting the usercomprises producing a noise using a speaker.